Oral COVID-19 Treatment Drug to Be Introduced Domestically? KCDC "In Negotiations for Advance Purchase"

American pharmaceutical company Merck and biotechnology firm Ridgeback Biotherapeutics jointly developed the oral COVID-19 treatment 'Molnupiravir (MK-4482)'.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] The quarantine authorities announced that they are in discussions for the pre-purchase of oral COVID-19 treatments that are about to apply for emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on the 3rd, the government is currently pushing to purchase 38,000 doses of oral COVID-19 treatments. To this end, it has secured 16.8 billion KRW in the second supplementary budget for this year and allocated 19.4 billion KRW in the 2022 budget.

The purchase cost per person for the treatment is expected to be around 900,000 KRW. The government has established a policy to fully cover the administration costs after the treatment is introduced.

During the consultation process, the KDCA received interim clinical trial results related to the oral COVID-19 treatment from the pharmaceutical company Merck. It was also confirmed that this treatment is effective in reducing COVID-19 mortality rates while simultaneously suppressing variant viruses.

Earlier, on the 1st (local time), Merck announced interim results from a Phase 3 clinical trial showing that 'Molnupiravir (MK-4482)', jointly developed with the U.S. biotechnology company Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, reduced hospitalization and mortality rates of COVID-19 patients by about half.

Molnupiravir is a ribonucleoside analog and an oral antiviral candidate that inhibits the replication of various RNA viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19 infection.

Merck stated that it plans to soon apply for emergency use authorization of the oral COVID-19 treatment Molnupiravir to the FDA and health authorities of other countries.

In this regard, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to the U.S. White House, also appeared on the U.S. broadcast CNBC on the same day and said, "The FDA will review Merck's COVID-19 treatment as quickly as possible."

If the FDA approves the emergency use of Molnupiravir, it will be the first case of an oral COVID-19 treatment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.